Jury member has his own theory of the crime

Sitting in as a jury member for the Mock Trial assignment, I got the amazing opportunity to experience a court case as it would be presented in a real trial. The defendant Sandy (Mark) was accused of murder. A former employee of his was homeless and begging for her job back. Sandy, known for not liking homeless people because they disrupt the image of his restaurant refuse to re-hire the deceased. The prosecution claims that Sandy and Terese were out in the alley behind Sandy's restaurant and when Sandy smashed Terese in the head with a rock, killing her.

The defense's story is a little different. Sandy stated on the stand that he simply let her out of the backdoor after a heated conversation because as he stated, “She didn’t want anyone to see her crying.” This is when some supposed gang members or someone else might have killed her.

When I was discussing the matter with the jury, I came up with a theory as to what I think really happened and this is why I believed Sandy was actually guilty, but I could not vote to convict him based off the evidence provided. There was not enough objective evidence.

Written by MSTC Written Communication Student, Gary